Improved apparatus for saving silver from waste solutions



No. 35,842. PATENTED JULY 8, 1 862.

SHAW. APPARATUS FOR S VING SILVER FROM WASTE SOLUTIONS.

UNITED STATES au. err i PATENT OFFICE.

JEHYLEMA snAw, OFBRIDGEPO'RT, oonnno'rrourr.

lMP ROVED APPARATUS For SAVINGSILVER niom wAsirsorunoms.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent huh 35,8 42, dated-July S,186?.

I To all whom/it may concern/.2

, Be it known that I, J EHYLEMAN SHAW, of the city of Bridgeport, in thecounty of Fair- .field and State of Connecticut, have invented a new andimproved-inodeof preventing the gold and silver contained in solutionsused in- 'over which solutions of silver or gold are used,

a vessel to receive the material escaping from the sink, which vessel isprovided with such chemicals as will cause the silver or gold containedin the liquids falling into it to beprecipitatedsvhile the surplus waterand other worthless material are allowed to escape through awaste-pipe,after first passing through a filter or strainer.

For a more full description of my inven- 4 tion, I would refer to theaccompanying drawings. A

- Figure 1 represents my machine andthe interior arrangements thereof,the outside being drawn as though it were made of glass. A representsthe .outside case of the machine which may be made of wood or metal,open atthe top, and closed at the bottom. F represents the waste-pipe ofthe sink, through which the liquids from the sink pass into the machine.E represents, a partition of wood or metal, extending entirely acrossthe case and fitted to the sides thereofwater-tight, and also extendingfrom the top of the case to within about an inch of the bottom. I) is acloth bag containing two or three pounds of protosulphate of iron. Thisbag is suspended from the top of the case by the string G, so as to beabout midway between the top and bottom of the case. B represents afilter, with a waste-pipe, 0, extending from the inside of the filter tothe outside of the case.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectionbf the filter through the center. The filteris made of a wood or other box open at the bottom, but

A inclosed on all other sides. Near the top of the box the waste-pipe Ois inserted. Immediately underneath the waste-pipe a cloth strainer isstretched across the box-and secured thereto. This strainer isrepresented by the line 1'. Immediately under the strainer i a layer ofcotton-batting is placed, which is represented by It. The space marked Lis entirely filled up with sawdust. Another layer of cotton-batting isplaced next the sawdust, asrepresented by M, and another cloth strainer,N, is then stretched across the bottom of the boX' and secured thereto.H is an open space between the upper strainer and the top of the box.-

The machine, as thus described, is ready for use, and is placed underthe waste-pipe of the sink or basin, into which solutions containingsilver or gold are wasted,.and in such a o sition that the waste fromthesink shall fal into .that portion of the vessel in which the bag D issuspended. As the liquids con- .taining solutions of gold or silver runinto the vessel A, and come into contact with the bag containingprotosulphate of iron, a chemical action takes place, and the silvercontained in solution is precipitated. As the vessel fills the surpluswater and other worthless liquids pass, through the filter and out atthe waste-pipe C, the filter preventing small particles of silver frombeing drawn by the current out of the waste-pipe.

The machine maybe made of any size,from one foot in diameter and upward,and of any desired height according tovthe quantity-of waste from thesink. The vessel can be relieved of the silver which has beenprecipitated at any time, and the silver refined,when desired. There aremany other chemicals which may be used in the bag, instead of theprotosulphate of iron. If desired, metals may be used. The filter mayalso be made'in a variety of ways and shapes, but the one adopt? ed issufficient to answer the purpose, I11- deed,the machine will answer avery good purpose without any'filter. It will be necessary from time totime to replenish the bag D as the chemicals therein contained will begrad ually dissolved.

- Having thus described my invention, what arranged and constructed thatthe liquids 2. The use of the filter B or its equivalent, passing fromthe sink shall run into, through, for the purpose of preventing smallparticles and out of said vessel, and between the time I of silver fromescaping after the liquids have J of entering said vessel, and escapingtherebeen brought into contact with the chemicals from shall be broughtinto contact with such as described. v I chemicals or metals as willcause the whole or T l l H v i any part of the silver contained insolution EH1 LDMAN SHAW I to be precipitated and retained in saidvessel, Witnesses: y

while the worthless material is allowed to es- N. HAYES, cape. I JOSIAHHUBBELL.

